Connector for electrical terminals.



C. E. PAUL, In. CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRICAL TERMINALS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.20,1912.`

Patented Apr. 10, 1917.

. CHRISTIAN r. PAUL,

CYRIL G. BALLN, OI NEW YORK, N. Y.

CONNECTOR FOR Specification of Letters latent.

ELECTRIGAL TERMINALS.

Application led September 20, 1912. Serial No. 721,864.

To all whom t may comme:

Be ityknown that l, Cnms'rnm F. PAUL, Jr., a citizen ofthe United States, residing at'Peekskill, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements-in Connectors for Electrical. Terminals, of which the following is a clear, fulhand exact description.

This invention-relates to an electricalcon# nector for coupling together the terminalsof conductors oit electrical machines, and 'is particularly applicable to those machines subjecttorou'gh'usage and considerable viplete -an electrical circuit.

bration, such as the4 motor-driven roel; drills, electrically operated hammers, etc.

In general my .connector comprises twoV separate holders, each carrying one or more terminals :for coming into contact to comadapted to be secured to the rigid hase of the electrical machine, vand the other holder is,` manually portable and removable from `said first named holder for breaking the electrical connections.

, In the' use of rock making. the electrical connections to the motor oit' the drill soon become clogged up withv dirt and grit and should therefore be open and exposed to facilitate cleaning. Also the method usually adopted by workmen for insuring good electrical contact between the connections isA to drive the parts together with a heavy rock or sledgelharnmer. It is therefore desirable that 'the parts which carry the terminals for making the electrical connections' be designed to protect the terminals against injury when subjected to y such rough usage.

' accompanying drawings.

, The present improvement secures the advantages thus found vdesirable and further advantages of the construction will become apparent from the following description and The scope of the invention .will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Inthe preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated inv the drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the con- 4 nector showing .the cover-plate of the head and the retaining nuts 28 removed; Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken on II-II ci Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a crossssection taken on the line IIIf-III of Fig. l but 'showing the connecthe line 'tothe interior or" the motor,

One holder is drills the4 means forl shown.v

tor head as being only partly slid into its normal position.

Referring more particularly to the draw ings, 1 represents the outline of the shell of a motor to which the connector is to he applied. To hold the conductors 2 `which lead l provide an insulating block 3 which is clamped on the exterior of the'shell v1 by means of .a base plate or holder Il. The Vconductors 2 are secured inthe inner ends of iiXed terminals 5 which pass through this iiXed insulating I-atented Apr. 1t),` 1931"?.

block. These fixed terminals maybe molded i in the insulator 3 and may have enlargements 6 to prevent their displacement. The

outer ends of the terminals 5 are `slightly cupped so as to form circular sockets 7 with beveled walls.

Atthe opposed sides of the fixed holder 4 are formed grooved portions 8 for guiding tongues 9 formed at the lateral.edgesot1 the portable holder 10, said holder being in the form of' a plate, having a rounded head il.

The tongues 9 are tapered or wedge-shaped lin Alongitudinal section as shownin Fig. 3

and the grooves 8 are similarly tapered to fit said tongues for allowing the parts to be completely coupled together with` a wedging action as shown in Figs. 1 and'2. Although the wedgifng action of the tapered tongues 9 and grooves S isgenerally sinh-- cient to limit the transverse movement of holder 'l0 in registering its terminals with those of holder 4, nevertheless I have pro vided' a positive stop or shoulder r35 (ses Figs. 1 and 3) for an additional precaution in arresting the movement of said parts in proper relation. The holder '110 has a central opening or bore 12 which communicates 'with' the interior of a tubular` sha-nl; 13 er;- tending fromv one side oithe holder. In the bore 12 is carried an insulating block, preferahly divided in two sections or disks l;

tubular shellformedo two parts 18 and 19, the ends of which come together4 as The shell members l9 extend through the outer insulating section 15, and to their outer ,ends conductors 20 are connected. Thecon'ductors 20 lpass'laterally through slots 21 in the outer face of the insulating section 15 and continue through the tubular shank 13. Within the shell members 1S and 19, springs 22 are provided to torce outwardly the.` reduced tips of the movable terminals 1T so that they tend to project slightly beyond the inner face of the insulating section lll. The outer side of the insulating section 15 is covered by an insulating gasket Q3 over which there is received a cover-plate Qt and which tits into an enlarged counterbore in the outer side of the head l1. The shell members 18 and 19 have shoulders 2G which hold them in place when they have been set between the insulating s :tions 1l and 15. The two sections are rigidly secured together and siinnltanemislv secured to the` holder 10 by means of bolts Il', the heads hf which are countersunli in the inner face of the block 14. The out-:zr ends ot the bolts pass through the cover are 2 and receive nuts 28 and check pins 29. In order to hold these bolts 27 against rot-ation, cross pins 30 are mounted iii openings 31 in the bolts just under the gasket- 23, and these pins 30 aiereceived in slots 32 inthe outer face of the block 15. Near a shoulder which forms a. seat for the gasket 23 an annular internal flange or projection 3l is formed. The block 15 seats against the inner side of this flange, and the het and cover 2l seat against the ente-i si( which is a continuation oi the shoulder 3S. In this way the bolts clamp the insulating blocks l-t and 15 .securelyN together and at the same time secure them in t; lh

L l have illustrated a connector alare of the transmission. In couplingthe holder l() to the base plate or holder 4, it is simply slid along the grooved portions S until the coupling movement is arrested by the stop which occurs when the movable terminals are in register with the fixed terminals The springs 22 will then torce the projecting ends of the movable terminals 17 into the sockets of the fixed terminals.l It will be evident that in spite of vibration or shocks, these springs will maintain a constant contact between the movable terminals and the lixed terminals. lt will also be evi? dent that thi.l means lor guiding the holder l() into position is evposed so that any obstructions can be readily removed, and turherinoro it it is necessary to use great force iii driving the holder into position, this rrr-ce docs not apply itself'to the terminals.

ln other words. the terminals are not driven together but simply slide intoengagement rsi-,li cach other.

The terms vertical and horizontal7 'o usen in the claims to indicate directions ,latirc to one another and 'not in anyabsolute sense,

la cont-itis, there may be more or .s the contacts depending upon the nature of the electrical machine or upon the It is understood that the construction dcscrib'd above is the preferred 'embodiment only of my linvention which may take many other forms. I therefore do not wish to be limitediii the scope of my claims to the particular-y construction described above.

What I claim is l. In a comiectorfor electrical 'terminals in combination, separate holders having electrical terminals therein, coactingtongue and groove guiding devices upon said holders for guiding said holders one upon the other in a substantially straight path transversely of said terminals for rbringing said terminals intol register, said tongue and groove guiding devices arranged in converging relation so when forced together.

2. In a holder for electrical terminals, in combination a casing, a, block of insulation therein separable into sections, one or more electrical terminals adapted to be held between said sections when the latter are clamped together, said terminals'comprisin a two part hollow shell and a plug slidable therein, and means for clamping said sections together. f i

3. In a holder for electrical terminals, in combination a casing, a block of insulation therein separable into sections, one or more electrical terminals adapted to be held between said sections when the latter are clamped together, said terminals comprising a two-part hollow shell and av springpressed plug rslidable therein, and 4means .forV

clamping said sections together. f

4. In a connector for electrical terminals in combination, separate holders each comprising ay metallic casing with a body of insulation therein to provide a substantially horizontal face and adapted to slide one upon the other, interlocking portions at the lateral edges of said casings for guiding the holders in their sliding movement oneupon the other, one orfinore electrical `terminals mounted in the insulation each holder andarran'ged to move vertically toward one another for making contact ,"irhen saidterminalsare in register, said,terminals being provided with means So that when said terminals come in contact'they prevent the relative sliding movement of saidholders.

5. In ay connector fdr electrical terminals in combination, separate holderseach comprisinga metallic casing witha. body ovfinsulation therein to provide a'v substantially horizontal face and adapted to xslide one upon the other, interlocking' portions at the lateral edges of said easings for guiding the holders in their'` sliding movement one upon the other, onegor more electrical terminals mounted in the insulation at the face of each holder and.arranged to" move vertically toward one another `for making contact'when said terminals areinvregister, the

as to have a wedging action f at the face of heee,

terminals of one holder having sockets and the terminals of the other holder having projections adapted to enter said sockets so that said terminals when theyy come in contact act to prevent the relative sliding netzwe-v ment o said-holders.

, 6. in aconnector for electrical terminals in combination, separate holders each comv prising a metallic casing With a `cody of insulation therein to provide a. substantially horizontal tace and adapted to slide one upon the other, interlocking portions at the lateral edges ot said casings for guiding the holders in their sliding movement one upon the other, one or more electrical ter- Ininels mounted in the insulation at the face of each holder andarranged to move veru tically toward one another for making contact when said terminals are in register, the terminals of one holder having beveled sockets and the terminals of the other holder having spring-pressed 'projections adapted to enter said sockets and yieldingly retain said holders against sliding movement.

7. ln a connector.' i'or electrical terminals in combination, a holder' having a cental opening with an internal flange, an insulating hloclr within said opening at the inner side oi said flange, one or more terminals carried. in .said block, a cover plate at the outer sideofsaid lange, means for clamping said insulating block and. said cover plate together upon said. interposed dange, a fixed hase, an insulating block held thereon and having one or more terminalstherein, said fixed hase constructed and arranged to guide said holder in a slidingV movement thereon to bring the terminals of vsaid holder into register with-the terminals of said hase.

8. ln a connector for electrical terminals in combination, separate holders with opposed. faces adapted to slide one upon the other, each holder comprising a protective' casiniM with one or more terminals in the face of the holder and insulated from the casing, inter-engaging means at the lateral' edges of said holders for guiding the'interl' sliding movement thineolx2 in a substantially straight path transversely ot said terminals to bring said terminals into register,said inter-'engaging means comprising coasting tongue' and groove portions.

10. In a connector for electrical terminals in combination, separate holders with opw posed faces' adapted to slide one upon' the other, each holder comprising a protective casing .vith'one or more terminals in the tace ot the holder and insulated troni the casing,

intenengaging ineens at the lateral edges" of said holders for guiding the intersliding movement thereof ina substantially straight path transverselyof said terminals to bring.`

said terminals into register, said inter-engaging means cornp'rising coasting, tongue and groove portions arranged to have a wedging action upon one another when the holders are forced together.

Gil

11. In a connector for electrical terminals 1n combination, separate holders with opposed faces adapted to slide one upon the other, each holder comprising a protective casing with one or more terminals in the face of the holder and insulated from the casing, interlocking means at the lateral edges of said holders for guiding the intersliding movement thereof in a substantially straight path transversely of said terminals to bring said terminals into register, said terminals having a movement toward one another independent of said holders for malringwontact.

lf3. In aconnector for electrical terminals in combination, separate holders with opposed taces adapted to slide one upon the other, each holder comprising a protective easing with one or more terminals in the face ot the holder and insulated :trom the casing, inter-engaging means at the lateral edges of said holders for' guiding the intersliding movement thereof in a substantially straight path transversely of said terminals to bring said terminals into register, said,

terminals having a movement 'toward one another independent of said holders for making Contact, and provided with means when in contact, tending to prevent the intersliding movement of said holders.

Signed at New York, N. Y., this 9th day of September, 1312. l I

- CHRSTIAN F. PAL,` JR. Witnesses:

EMERSON R. NEWELL, Bewezen Mravrs. 

